Waterproof mattress



April 15, 1941. l s BLAKE TAL 2,238,550

WATERPROOF MATTRESS -F'iled Nov. 24, 1939 l mi K.,

Patented Apr. 15, 1941 Samuel Blake, Brooklin assignors to 'New' York Mattress Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts l s y Application November 24, 1939., Serial No. 305,81'8

Dorchester, Mass.,

3 Claims.

This linvention relates to a waterproof mattress and more especially a mattress intended to be used in beds or cribs for infants and small children to whom bladder control has not yet been taught. v

v'l'he mattress of the present invention cornprises a Waterproof ticking `fab-ric punctured locally by the anchoring portions of the usual tufting but maintained watertight at each punctured locality by a small piece of ticking fabric covering completely the anchoring portion of the tufting and united by waterproof adhesive to such portion and to the ticking fabric immediately surrounding such portion. When the anchoring portion of the tufting comprises a round button, the sealing fabric piece sume a circular form of a diameter substantially greater than that of the button and united by the waterproof adhesive to substantially only an annular zone of ticking fabric immediately surrounding the button. n

' With the foregoing and other features and objects in View, the present invention will now be described in further detail with particular reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 shows in miniature perspective a mattress in which the instant invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section through a tufted portion of the mattress on theline 2-2 of Fig. 1, some of the body or thickness of the mattress being broken away and the anchoring portions of the tufting and the fabric seals being shown enlarged to about twice their normal size so as to illustrate the instant invention to best advantage.

Fig, 3 illustrates in perspective a seal of circular form suitable for the purpose hereof.

Fig. 4 represents a section through a button anchor or tuft and the adjacent mattress through a button-tufted mattress portion and the seal of Fig. 3 just before it has been adhesively fixed in position. 1

Fig. 5 illustrates a section through a tufted mattress portion whose tufting is anchored by a bight in the tufting cord, such bight and the ticking apertures created thereby being masked by a seal of ticking fabric adhesively secured in place.

The mattress hereof may comprise a waterproof ticking or covering fabric I0, which may enclose or envelop the usual vmattress ller materials. While the particular ller material has for convenience been illustrated as being hair or analogous material Il, the mattress hereof may, if desired, be comprised internally of a lso-called innerspring assembly covered with cotton felt or 4like padding material. In any event, tufting may advantageously ase, and Edward "Woll,A

passes at more or less regularly spaced intervals through. the body of Ythe mattress from one face to the other so as to inhibit, so far as possible, undesirablev movementof the filler material or materials and to impart the desired quilted appearance to each mattress face, as appears in Fig. l. The particularform of tufting shown in Fig. v2 comprises a closed loop of cord l2, each of Whose end portions engages a hook-shaped shank I3 projecting from a round button I4. The inner face of the button I4, which constitutes the anchoring portion of the tufting, may lie next tothe outer f ace vof the ticking fabric I0 and create a .localized depression or indentation therein by reason of the localized compression of the mattress ller material or materials. i

In being forced through the ticking fabric I0 -vof `the mattress,v the hook-shaped shank I3 Vrents the fabric and thereby creates an aperture I5 therein; or such aperture may preliminarily be fcreated byia suitable piercing or prying instrument, whereupon the hook-shaped shank I3 may readily be passe'dtherethrough. Inasmuch as liquid tends to accumulate on the upper face of `the mattress at the indented or recessed localities yat which the buttons I4; are located, such liquid wouldv ordinarily tend to leak through the aper` tures l5 into they mattressand thus to foul the mattress ller materials. Such leakage is stopped effectively, accordance with the present inmvention, bya circular sealing piece 0r patch 1 6 of a diameter-'substantially greater than that of the button I4. The piece I6, which may advantageously rbe composed ofv a Waterproof fabric .similarV to that of j the ticking I0, is secured in place over the button Il!r by suitable waterproof adhesive I1 applied bybrush or otherwise over the external face of such, button and over the annular zone of ticking fabric substantially only immediately surrounding such button.

The `form of tufting shown in Fig.'5 is distinguished from that hereinbefore described essentiallyin that the bightor end portion I8e of the closed tufting loop I8 *servesy to anchor the tufting. However, in the case of the tufting hereinbeforedescribed, the apertures created in 'the tickingfabric II] vby passage of K4the-tufting cord I8 therethrough arevclosed off by a circular piece of fabric I6 fixed in position over the blight or anchoring portion I8eof thecord andover the surrounding tickingy fabric by waterproof adhesive. The end portionsl` of the tufting cord may be tied together-in-i'clos'ed;loop form by aknot (notfSIlOWn)i located' insidevthe mattress body as state under heat.

nated or coated with a cellulose ester, such as i cellulose acetate, or with a rubber compound, such as rubber latex, the waterproof adhesive employed for uniting the sealing piece l 6 in place to' the ticking fabric is preferably of a corresponding composition, for instance, is cellulose acetate lacquer or solution in the case of a ticking fabric waterproofed with cellulose acetate and rubber latex cement in the case of a ticking fabric waterproofed with rubber latex composition.

By using for the sealing piece I6 a waterproof adhesive or cement of a composition substantially like that of the waterproofing or impregnating compound of the ticking fabric, the desired strong bond between such piece and the ticking is effected, namely, a bond in the nature of an autogenous weld byreason of the similarity between the Waterproof fabric of the sealing piece and the waterproof fabric of the ticking and the bonding affinity of the waterproof adhesive for the waterproofing material in both the sealing piece and the ticking.

Itis possible to depart in various respects from the particular embodiment of the invention as hereinbefore described. Thus, in lieu of applying the waterproof adhesive tothe areas, includf ing the external surface of the button l1 and the surrounding ticking fabric, it is possible to apply such adhesive to the confronting or under- Yface of the sealing piece I6. While such adhesive may be a cellulose ester lacquer and be wet or.' sticky when the piece I6 is applied to the areasto be covered thereby, yet it is possible to provide sealing pieces -IB whose sealing faces are coated Jvith adhesive in normally dry condition (e. g.,

' a thermoplastic cellulose ester or artificial resin xomposition) but activatable to an adhesive In such case, the piece i6 coated on its sealing face with normally dry or non-sticky adhesive may be applied to the areas to be covered thereby under the pressure of a hot iron or similar instrumentality that activates the adhesive coating to an adhesive condition and thus causes it to unite tenacioiisly to the underlying areas and to set or congeal to its normally dry state. Although the sealing piece of fabric may be of non-circular form, the circular piece is advantageous in that it is devoid of corners such as might serve to start the loosening ofl the piece from the surface supposed to be sealed thereby.

The mode of sealing mattress tufting herein described is further advantageous in that it also tends to mask irregularity in the exposed tufting portion or element and thus to minimize discomfort to the body of the sleeper. In so doing, it also does away with such unsightliness as may be attributable to an exposed button or similar tufting anchor, especially a steel or other metallic button subject to rusting or corrosion. Another important advantage presented bythe present invention is that sealed ticking areas, that is, substantially only those surrounding the anchoring portions or elements of the tufting, are composed ef flexible superposed layers of waterproof fabric united by nexible waterproof adhesive and hence capable of being flexed indefinitely under the stresses of using the mattress. In other Words, the superposed layers of fabric do not tend to separate from one another but, rather, remain in leakproof union, whereas, when it is attempted to form a seal by simply cementing a rigid or comparatively inflexible tufting button or like element to a mattress ticking fabric, leakage of Water past the button or like element to the insideof the mattress is apt to occur, since continued use of the mattress and attendant exing stresses thereon tend to cause the button to separate from or move relatively to the flexible fabric ticking so as to open up passages to and through the ticking aperture through which the button shank or the 'sealing piece of fabric and to the exposed face of the immediately surrounding ticking fabric, as indicated at la of Figs. 2 and 5, so as to seal the edge portions of the piece most effectively and thereby minimize possibility of an edge portion `of the piece parting from the ticking fabric or presenting a lifting tab that might be grasped by children. In other Words, access to the edge portion of the piece is thereby prevented.

When the sealing fabric pieces to be used for the purposes hereof are coated on their underfaces with a normally dry but thermo-activatable adhesive, they may be cut or died out from a continuous sheet of fabric precoated with the adhesive. f In much the same way, the sealing fabric pieces to be used for the purposes hereof may be coated on their under-faces with a normally sticky or tacky adhesive and they may be cut or died out from a continuous sheet of fabric that has been coated with such adhesive and then protected on its coated face with so-called -Holland cloth or other suitable insulating membrane. The protective cloth or membrane may be stripped fromrthe sealing fabric pieces when the latter are to be applied as sealing members in the fabrication of the mattresses hereof. The normally sticky adhesive may be of any suitable composition known to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. A waterproof mattress comprising a waterproof ticking fabric, tufting passing through the body of the mattress from Ione face to the other, the anchoring portion of said tufting penetrating said ticking fabric and creating an aperture therein, yand a small piece of ticking fabric covering completely the anchoring portion of said tufting and united by waterproof adhesive to said portion and to ticking fabric substantially only immediately surrounding said portion and thereby sealing said aperture against leakage, the exposed face of the marginal portion of said piece and the exposed face of the immediately surrounding ticking fabric having waterproof adhesive applied thereto so as toseal the edge portions of said piece against parting from the ticking fabric and to prevent access to the edge portion of said piece.

2. A waterproof mattress comprising a waterproof ticking fabric, tufting passing through the body of the mattress Yfrom one face to the other,

the anchoring portion of said tufting comprising `a round button and a shank penetrating said ticking fabric and creating an aperture therein, and

. a circular piece of ticking fabric of a diameter substantially greater than that of said button covering completely said button and united by Water-proof adhesive to said button and to an annular Zone of ticking fabric substantially only immediately surrounding said button and thereby sealing said aperture against leakage, the exposed face of the marginal portion of said piece and the exposed face of the immediately surrounding ticking fabric having Waterproof adhesive applied thereto so asf to seal the edge portions of said piece against parting from the ticking fabric and to prevent access to the edge portion of said piece.

3. A waterproof mattress comprising a ticking fabric impregnated with Waterproofing material, tufting passing through the body of the mattress from one face to the other, the anchoring portion of said tufting comprising a round button and a shank penetrating said ticking fabric and creating an aperture therein, and a circular fabric piece of a diameter substantially greater than that of said button covering completely said button and united by Waterproof adhesive to the external surface of said button and to an annular Zone of ticking fabric substantially only immediately surrounding said button, the exposed face of the marginal portion of said piece and the exposed face of the immediately surrounding ticking fabric having waterproof adhesive applied thereto so as to seal the edge portions of said piece against parting from the ticking fabric and to prevent access to the edge portion of said piece, said piece being of a fabric similar to that of said ticking and impregnated with similar waterproofing material and said adhesive being of a composition substantially similar to said Waterproong material so as to create in effect an autogenous Weld between said piece and said ticking and thereby seal said aperture against leakage.

SAMUEL BLAKE. EDWARD WOLL. 

